The Mechanics Behind Every Keyhole
by Larissa Gates
Summary: Hotaru is a friend to Sora, Riku, and Kairi on Destiny Islands and loves everything about her life. But what happens when darkness swallows up the island and Hotaru is torn apart from her friends? And when Maleficent finds use of her?
1. Pinky Promises

_Thinking of you, wherever you are,_

_We pray for our sorrows to end,  
and hope that our hearts will blend.  
Now I will step forward to realize this wish._

_And who knows:  
starting a new journey may not be so hard  
or maybe it has already begun._

_There are many worlds,  
but they share the same sky-  
one sky, one destiny._

»»»»»»»» ««««««««

It was just another day on the island. Another sunrise to keep the sands of the beach glistening as the waves of the ocean swept onto shore. The paopu tree hanging over the Cliffside near the edge of the island, its fruit ripe and plump for the taking. Tree-houses and other hangouts could be seen all around the island as a few kids were playing around in various spots. And with the start of that average day on the island, I never knew of what adventure I was heading for beyond this world . . .

»»»»»»»» ««««««««

"Hey, Hotaru! Help me with these logs!"

Barely paying Riku any mind, I was lucky enough to catch one that he tossed to me.

"Ow! Jeez Riku, could you be any harsher?"

He just laughed as I followed him along the coastline of Destiny Islands. We were both the oldest of our quartet of friends: Me (Hotaru), Riku, Sora and Kairi; it might've been either his usual teasing or his cocky attitude that had never stopped him from treating me like "one of the guys." Personally, I thought it was his cockiness.

"Ah, you're fine. Besides, I can't really rely on Sora or Kairi to help me with their lazy selves."

I had little to no trouble keeping up as I walked alongside him; I was used to doing the more hard labor stuff with him since . . . well, I was always stuck working with him.

"True. But that doesn't change the fact that I'm still a girl, you know. You gotta treat me a little more . . . I don't know, fragile."

"Fragile? You? Don't make me laugh! You're the toughest girl I know around here! No way could I ever treat you like . . . like –."

"Like Kairi? Or Selphie?"

"Yeah, like them! Besides, it's better for you toughen up. Not like over-the-top macho or anything like that but-."

"I get it. I get it. You like me better as a tomboy. I'm just saying; don't forget that I'm a girl too."

"Yeah, yeah." Waving me off, I followed him over to where Kairi and Sora were, and they looked to be enjoying each other's company, as usual. They were mentioning something about traveling to other worlds when Riku spoke out, "Hey! Aren't you guys forgetting about us?"

I waved to the both of them as I heard Riku taunting them about only us two being the ones working on the raft. Being the jerk that he is, he tossed his log over to Sora and stood before Kairi, scrutinizing her for being as lazy as Sora.

Kairi giggled, finding it all funny as she replied, "So you noticed."

Setting the log piece down, I shifted the log piece off of Sora as he smiled back in appreciation. "Well, as much as I'd like to just stand here and chat the day away, I'd like to actually get this raft finished myself."

"Okay, we'll finish it together! I'll race you!" Kairi exclaimed.

"Huh?" Both Sora and I questioned. Was she serious?

"What? Are you kidding?" Riku said exasperated as he sat down next to Sora.

Seeing her smirk at me with that knowing glint in her eyes, I smiled as I shook my head. She was dead serious.

"Ready? Go!"

It didn't take long before both Sora and Riku sprung up from the ground and took off across the beach as Kairi and I raced to catch up.

Yup, just another ordinary day at the island . . .

»»»»»»»» ««««««««

It was near the end of the day and we were at our usual spot at the paopu tree, watching the sunset over the horizon. Nobody had really said anything that day since we were all pretty tired from gathering supplies for the raft and whatever else we may have needed for the trip. Just when I thought I was gonna nod off at the base of the tree between Kairi and Riku, Sora spoke up.

"So, Kairi and Hotaru's home is out there somewhere, right?"

Riku replied, "Could be. We'll never know by staying here."

"But how far could a raft take us?" I asked. It wasn't like me or Kairi could navigate the way there. We don't even remember where we came from!

"Who knows? If we have to, we'll think of something else."

"So, suppose you get to another world. What would you do there?" Kairi asked, her giggles intermixing with the question.

"Hm . . . Well, I haven't really thought about it."

"Ah. So the All-Mighty Riku admits to not having thought it all through, huh."

Giving me a playful push to the shoulder, Riku looked back out onto the horizons.

"It's just . . . I've always wondered why we're here on this island. If there are any other worlds out there, why did we end up on this one? And suppose there are other worlds . . . Then ours is just a little piece of something much greater. So we could have just as easily ended up somewhere else, right?"

"I don't know," Sora huffed, exhausted with Riku's deep thoughts as he lay across the tree trunk.

"Exactly. That's why we need to go out there and find out. Just sitting here won't change a thing. It's the same old stuff. So let's go."

"Wow, Riku. I didn't know you were thinking about this so . . . strongly." I was honestly amazed with how much thought he put into this. He never really expressed any of these thoughts to me before, so it was definitely a surprise to her them now.

"You've been thinking a lot lately, haven't you?" Kairi asked, sounding just as impressed as I was.

"Thanks to you and Hotaru. If you both hadn't come here, I probably would've never thought of any of this. Kairi, Hotaru, thanks."

"Heh. You're welcome." Kairi sounding a little confused about the thanks but accepted anyways.

"You're welcome. Just . . . don't think too hard like that in the future. It kind of scares me to know that you're actually able to think that hard."

"What? In that case, I take it back. All thanks to Kairi instead!" Riku boasted, hoping to get a rise out of me. And unfortunately, it did.

"Hey! Wait a minute! You can't take it back!"

"Too late. Should've thought of that earlier."

I crossed my arms in a huff, jealous that Riku had gotten the last word but at least our little petty argument had Kairi and Sora laughing. And Riku. And soon enough . . . I was laughing along with them.

Soon enough, the night was starting to set in and Kairi and I walked ahead of the boys as we climbed into our boats. I was ready to start paddling out as Kairi looked over at the boys still talking on the pier.

"Don't you think we should at least wait for Sora and Riku to catch up?"

Casting a glance over at the boys, I shrugged my shoulders as I untied my rope from the dock. "It doesn't really matter since they always catch up. But if it makes you feel better, I'll wait."

I kept my paddle in the water to keep my boat still as we waited for the boys. They didn't take too long as they boarded their boats and we all paddled towards the mainland. But for some reason, Riku was lagging behind and signaled for me to come over to him. I almost denied it but saw Kairi chatting with Sora as they paddled, paying me no mind as Sora was there to watch her.

'Well, I guess Sora can watch her.' My thoughts were convinced as I slowed down to Riku's boat.

"Is something wrong?"

He shook his head as he kept a steady pattern with me. "No. It's just . . . I don't wanna seem like I'm the only one having these thoughts. Haven't you wandered about where you and Kairi come from? Where you lived? How you got here?"

My eyebrows knitted together in frustration as I contemplated his words.

"Well . . . I mean, of course I've wondered about those things. I've even wondered if Kairi and I are even related."

"You're not related?" Riku asked, shocked.

"It's not hard to notice, Riku: her hair's red, mine's blonde; her eyes are blue while mine are yellow; her skin's pale and mine is tanner than the beach. The differences between us are pretty obvious."

"Well, yeah. But we just figured you guys were since you both came here together and you both already knew who you were."

"Yeah. I just wish I knew _how_ we knew each other."

Riku must've noticed my frustration with the topic, so he touched my shoulder and offered me a smile with a thumbs-up. "Hey. It doesn't matter now, right? You're both here and you got me and Sora. And we'll be here for the both of you. No matter what."

I couldn't stop my smile from spreading across my lips as I started laughing. As touching as Riku's words were, it was something else to see him doing something so . . . so . . . Sora!

"Hahaha! Riku, you're so mean! Don't imitate Sora!"

"Heh. But it got you to cheer up."

"Yeah . . . Thanks."

"Anytime."

Yup. Just another ordinary day . . .


	2. Darkness Arise

»»»»»»»» ««««««««

It was the next day over on Destiny Islands as Sora and Riku were preparing for a race. I stood on the sidelines with Kairi as I could only shake my head at the boys' competitiveness.

"Explain to me why we must deal with this again." It wasn't the first time they raced across the island for something but it really was starting to get short on time if we wanted to leave the island on time.

"Hehe. Because it's fun to watch them compete all the time." Kairi giggled as she stood as the judge. My eyes wavered back and forth between Riku and Kairi as I felt a little . . . jealous. I know that Riku and I were already good friends and there's nothing I wouldn't change about that. But I've always noticed how differently he treats Kairi in comparison to me and . . . it honestly made me feel a little jealous. But there shouldn't be anything to be jealous of, right?

"If I win, I'm captain! And if you win -."

"I get to share the paopu fruit with Kairi."

Sora and I shared the same stunned look as Riku stared across the obstacle course with determination in his eyes. I could barely catch my composure as Kairi signaled for the race to start and they were off. My mouth literally dropped at his previous words as I watched them both race across the island. So Riku did have those kinds of feelings for Kairi after all. Looking back at Kairi's cheerful state, I patted her on the shoulder to get her attention.

"Um . . . By any chance, did you happen to hear the reason for their racing?"

"Huh? Wasn't it to decide the name of the raft?"

My eyebrows cascaded in relief. At least she hadn't heard Riku. "Yeah, that's what I thought it was. Just wanted to know what those boneheads were racing for this time."

At first she just looked at me with confusion, making me panic a little. Did she know I was covering it up? But as usual, she giggled before speaking, "You know, you're a lot like the mom of our group."

I raised an eyebrow. "The mom?"

She nodded her head continuing, "Yup. And Riku's like the dad while me and Sora are like the kids. You both are always looking out for us. It's really nice."

My eyes softened, not really knowing how to take her perception of our group. It was cute but at the same time ironic. Letting a smile set in on my lips, I hugged Kairi to my side as we both watched Sora and Riku race back to us. "Yeah, I guess it is. Both you and Sora are quite the pair for trouble."

"Hey!" Kairi giggled. She knew I didn't mean it like that.

"But I'll always be here for you. No matter what. And who knows. We might even find our home along the way."

I returned her smile as we both looked back to see Sora ahead of Riku as he passed us with his hands triumphant in the air. A little tang of glee went off in me as I clapped for Sora's victory alongside Kairi. Riku was standing off to the side, looking non-too pleased with losing.

"Now the score's 1 to 0!" Sora yelled out in victory, proud of winning the race and the prize he had won. I was glad since that meant Riku wouldn't share the paopu with Kairi. Casting a look at Riku, I felt my heart sink at the realization: even though he didn't win, it wouldn't change his feelings for her.

"Man, lighten up. It's just a name, after all."

Sora narrowed his brows at Riku's annoyed tone as I stood by, feeling my heart sink even lower. This definitely didn't change his feelings for her.

»»»»»»»» ««««««««

"Hey Hotaru, can you come with me for a second?"

Looking down from the palm tree I was on, I saw Sora looking pretty antsy about something. Cocking my head to the side, I slid down the tree and landed by his side gracefully. "What's up?"

"Follow me. I just need to know something."

Shrugging my shoulders, I followed him into the secret place at the base of the biggest tree on the island. I hesitated a little, stepping back as I stared into the dark entrance.

"Hotaru? You okay?"

Looking back at Sora, I nodded my head as I walked with him inside. Must've been my nerves getting the better of me. "Yeah, sorry. I kind of got the chills. There must be a draft or something inside."

"Oh. Well it's not far." Following Sora, I walked down the slope to the inside where vines were the prime decoration of the place and child-like chalk drawings on the walls with a door across from us. For some reason, my eyes couldn't separate from it as I felt myself walking up to it. Ever since I could remember, I always wondered what was behind that door but never actually bothered to look. I only ventured in here once and never wanted to come back. But unfortunately, Sora wanted me to come.

With each step I took, it felt like an underlying energy was rising up from inside of me and trying to find a way out. An inch away from touching the door, my hand was seized by Sora with a worried look on his face. "Didn't you hear me calling you?"

"Huh? Oh. Sorry."

My eyes darted back forth from Sora and the door as I retreated my hand, feeling the energy subside within me. Holding a part of my head, I could hear some type of whispering.

"What?"

"Huh?" Looking back at Sora, he looked even more concerned as he stood next to me. "What?"

"You said, 'The door has been connected.' Just now."

"Oh. Did I, really?" Nodding his head in confirmation, I turned away from the door as I started walking back towards the entrance. There was no way I was staying in here for another second.

"So you felt something, too! From that door!"

Turning to look at Sora, I narrowed my eyes in aggravation as I wanted nothing more than to leave. "Yes, I did. But what does that have to do with -."

"I felt something earlier, too! But there was a guy here, in the corner. I couldn't see him since he was wearing a black hood but he said something about the door, too!"

Eyeing Sora with wary, I glanced back at the door before looking back at Sora. "So why'd you bring me here? Why not Kairi or Riku?"

"Because I knew you'd listen to me. I didn't want to worry Kairi, and with Riku . . . Well, he's Riku. He'd probably just say I was sleeping in the sun for too long."

"Hm. True." I felt a small urge trying to get to the door again but went against it as I grabbed Sora's arm and ran out of the secret base with him. As soon as we reached the outside, the chills went away and I was finally able to calm myself down. What was that feeling back there?

"Sora, listen to me."

I looked back to make sure he was paying attention; he was.

"Do not – I repeat – NOT ever go back in there. That place feels way too weird and I don't trust it. Understand?"

"But I've gone in there before and back then -."

"Sora! I'm being serious! I don't want the guy coming back and doing something to hurt you! So don't go back in there without my say-so, okay?"

Sora's aquamarine orbs gazed at me with slight fear as he nodded his head. I don't normally yell – let alone at my friends – so it was understandable that he was surprised of my reaction. Gaining my composure, I patted him on the head as I offered a small smile. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have yelled. But I just don't want anything happening to you. You, Kairi, or Riku. So I can't help but worry sometimes, that's all."

His eyes shone with appreciation as he hugged me around my waist and we ventured away from the secret base. The further we were from it, the better . . .

»»»»»»»» ««««««««

Sitting on the edge of the island, I watched from the Cliffside as the sunset cascaded over the ocean's horizon. My legs swung to their own pace as I enjoyed the breeze and closed my eyes in leisure. Tomorrow, we would be leaving the islands and setting off to new worlds. If that wasn't the biggest adrenaline rush in the world, then I don't know what is . . .

"Got a second?"

Peeking over my shoulder, I saw Riku walking over with his hands in his pockets as he smirked over my way. Gesturing to the spot next to me, I turned back to the sunset as I heard him sit next to me. Looking over, his leg was propped up as his arm was slung over his knee as he held his gaze out towards the ocean. He was thinking again. Looking down at my green shorts, I fiddled with the yellow and black straps attached.

"You ready for tomorrow?"

His lips formed a smirk, though he didn't take his eyes away from the sunset. "I'm more than ready. I'm just worried about you and Sora."

"Oh please." I playfully shoved him, getting a laugh out of both of us. It doesn't last long as we reverted back into our comfortable silence. "You think I'll find out where I came from?"

I knew he was looking at me this time but I didn't face him.

"What makes you think that you're not from the same place as Kairi?"

"I don't know. For all I know, I could be from a completely different world than hers."

"Do you really think that?"

I looked back at Riku, seeing his seriousness in his aqua eyes. I switched my sight back onto my lap, fingering with my black and green fingerless gloves. As much as my thoughts wanted to venture more into my curiosity and wanted to ask all of these kinds of questions, my heart had a different feeling altogether. "No. But I can't help but wonder sometimes."

"Yeah. This trip is starting to make everyone wonder, I think."

"I know you have. I don't know about Kairi and Sora though. They're just looking at it as another adventure." Looking over by the pier, I could see the mentioned kids watching the sunset together. The sight brought a soft smile to my face, making me wish that we could just stay here and not have to go out after all. But my curiosity was begging me to go, even if all my theories were wrong about where I came from. It couldn't hurt to know.

"But wherever you came from – whether it was with Kairi or not – I'm glad you found your way to the island."

I wasn't expecting such words out of Riku as I tilted my head over at him. My face probably looked calm and steady but inside my feelings were bouncing all over the place as I wasn't sure what to feel. Taking a deep breath, I felt the wind pick up a little as the sun finally disappeared over the horizon. "Thanks for being such a good friend Riku."

"Yeah. Likewise."

It was time to go. We both knew it was but neither of us moved from our spots. I guess it was because on the inside we were scared of what was going to happen on this new adventure that waiting before us. At least, that's I how I felt.

Riku stood up next to me and offered a gloved hand, his trademark smirk on his face. "Don't tell me you're chickening out now?"

Rivaling his smirk with my own, I accepted his hand and pulled myself up. "Nope. Just wondering if you were gonna be able to catch up."

He raised an eyebrow. "Catch up?"

"Yup. Because I'm already ahead of you." Before he could ask what I meant, I started running down the cliff towards the beach as I heard him catching up not too far from me.

"That was sneaky, Hotaru!"

"Like you're any better!"

Even while we were racing and enjoying our time together, I couldn't help but feel some sort of regret as we reached the pier with Sora and Kairi waiting for us. What if this adventure changed our lives? What if it changed us? What if . . . we weren't all gonna be together after all of this?

Looking at Riku teasing Sora, Sora defending himself, and Kairi giggling at the two, it made me feel sad. But there wasn't anything to worry about. Was there?

»»»»»»»» ««««««««

_Waves were crashing all around the island. I stood near the pier, scared and worried for the others. Where were my friends? Were they alright? The clouds hovering over the island are dark and malicious as thunder booms from them. Panicked, I dash around the coast in an attempt to find Riku and the others. But there's something else here, something besides the storm. Looking over my shoulder, I see this vast sea of darkness swarming towards me with yellow beady eyes inside it. I force my legs to run faster as I see someone ahead of me. Squinting my eyes, I can see it's Riku! I call out his name but he doesn't respond as his back is facing me and he's staring out at a huge wave coming towards him. Making one last effort to get to him, I jump and hold my hand out for him._

"RIKU!"

I opened my eyes in fright as I looked around me. I was . . . in the secret place? Looking around me, I saw the old drawings from before when we were little and judging from how tired I felt, I guess I was in here for a while. I didn't question it for too long as I felt the same energy from before rise in me. It didn't take long for the shivers to return when I looked over at the door. That same urge came over me from before as I found myself staring at its frame.

'This has bad news written all over it.'

**Come, my child. Your time here is no longer needed.**

"W-What?" Trying my hardest to get away, it didn't work – like my muscles were working against me for some reason. And then something dark was oozing out of the sides of the door. As they slid across the room towards me, I could do nothing but watch as I was getting entangled more and more by the darkness.

"Kairi! Hotaru!"

Sora? Why was Sora here? And where did he see Kairi? I tried my hardest to look over but the darkness grew too strong as more of it blasted out of the door and engulfed me with it. I didn't know where I was. I didn't know where I was going. I couldn't even tell if I was going to survive whatever this was. But my only thoughts will surrounded by infinite darkness?

. . . It was rather calming.


	3. Black Knights and Castles

»»»»»»»» ««««««««

_Each journey gives rise to chance encounters,_

_And each encounter brings forth a farewell._

_When a farewell leads to a journey,_

_The worlds open their hearts._

_Those chosen by the light,_

_Or ensnared by the darkness._

_Friends who share the same bounds,_

_Though their paths may differ._

_When you doubt the path trod thus far,_

_When the hand you held is lost to you,_

_Gaze anew at the heart that once was . . ._

_For all the answers are within._

»»»»»»»» ««««««««

I didn't hear anything at first. But then there were voices. Most of them were men with one or two women. I couldn't move much as I heard their hushed conversation around me.

" - surely she must be some sort of pixie," A gruff yet proper man said from the side.

"I don't know what world you're from but that girl is no pixie." This man's voice sounded ominous – nothing about it sounded trusting at all.

"What's it matter anyway? She'll just ruin everything." This voice sounded sassy (if you can call a guy's voice that) and impudent. I didn't like it.

Then a woman's voice – a loud one, at that – spoke up. "But she came from the darkness! If that happened, she must be –."

"Fools, be quiet! The girl is waking!" Another man's voice interrupted – this one sounding more regal but it still had an underlying tone to it.

"Just put her in one of the rooms of the castle before she wakes up. She may prove useful to us in the future. Both her and the boy."

Boy? What boy? Was Sora here too? Riku?

I felt myself being picked up and carried somewhere as my conscious started to come back bit by bit. Peeking through my eyelids, I saw myself being carried by someone – or something – in nothing but black and I started to wake up more. I felt that whatever was carrying me had no warmth in it whatsoever. Was it . . . the darkness?

Before I could question it more, I felt everything turn cold and we were surrounded by darkness for a short time before I was transported into a room with a bed and a window nearby. I closed my eyes and feigned sleep before I was placed on the bed. I waited a few seconds but was unsure of whether or not if I was left alone.

_You can open your eyes. We are alone._

Surprised to hear another voice, my eyes shot open to see the same black creature still in the room with its bright yellow eyes aimed directly at me. Remembering my last seconds on the island, I scrambled across the bed and onto the other side of the room. Was this . . . thing gonna suck me in too? Take me back into the darkness?

_Do not be afraid. I will not harm you. I am only here to serve you._

I raised an eyebrow in question as I relaxed a little but refused to take my eyes off of the creature. "Serve me?"

_Yes. It is my duty to you as a Heartless._

Heartless? Why did that name sound so familiar?

Shoving that thought aside, I took in the Heartless' appearance in front of me. It had on black armor covering it head to toe along with a sword hidden in a black sheath on its side. It looked like one of those black knights you hear in fairy tales – the ones that worked for the bad guys. But this was real life. Even so, it wasn't giving me a solid reason to trust it.

"Okay . . . And why is that your duty?"

_Because you are the one that Kingdom Hearts chose._

Kingdom Hearts? Looking around, I didn't want to question why that sounded familiar either. Maybe distracting myself will help to better the situation some. Unfortunately, there wasn't really much to catch my attention as the room was pretty much bare. Deciding to look outside the window, my heart pounded much faster as the realization of my situation hit me all over again: I was definitely nowhere near the islands and I had no idea where my friends were.

_If you are wondering where you are, you are within Maleficent's care here at Hollow Bastion._

Taking my eyes away from the waterfalls and nearby castle walls attached, I looked back at the Heartless patiently standing there, acting as if it wasn't even okay to step out of line without my say-so.

'Well, I'm not gonna get any answers from anyone else. Might as well use it – err, him – for all he's worth.' I thought to myself. Besides, it felt unnatural to keep referring to him as an 'it.'

"Who's Maleficent? And where's Hollow Bastion?"

_Maleficent is the current leader of the Heartless and owner of this castle. Hollow Bastion is this castle and the town that used to reside near it._

"There's a town?" I turned back to the window to see if I could see anything past the castle walls.

_Used to, Miss Hotaru. Right now, it is of no use to us. And it cannot be seen from the castle._

"Oh." Realizing something, I turned to the Heartless, wary of his every move. "Wait. How'd you know my name? I never told you."

_As I said before, it is my duty to you as a Heartless to serve you._

"That doesn't answer my question."

There was a tense silence as the Heartless just stood there, not making any move to press the subject further. Already on edge, I sat back on the bed and crossed my arms over my chest, staring back at the soulless eyes of the Heartless in front of me.

"Do you at least have a name?"

_A name?_

Nodding my head, I repeated the question. He seemed somewhat confused as he tilted his head before back into his straight posture. _You may call me whatever you deem necessary, I suppose._

I rolled my eyes in annoyance as I felt even more irritated. He really can't do anything without my say-so – can't even have a name!

"Well then, I guess I'll call you . . . Kishi. Since you look like a knight and all."

The Heartless seemed to take in the name before nodding his approval. _Kishi it is then._

Satisfied that I had at least something to call him now, my eyes wandered around the room as I crossed my legs in front of me. I couldn't really go anywhere since more than likely, I was gonna end up either back in here or in Maleficent's – whoever she was – clutches.

"So is Maleficent . . . bad?"

There was some hesitation before Kishi responded. _Only if you think her to be. It is not my place to say._

"But you work under her, right? Wouldn't you want to know if you were on the wrong side?"

_I do not feel as if I am on the wrong side. I go wherever I feel I most benefit._

"Benefit? So you're only on her side because she's strong?"

_If you wish to see it that way, then yes._

"That's not how I - . . . Never mind. But I do have one more question."

Kishi didn't urge me to continue but I assumed it was due to his "knight-like" manners that he didn't. "What reason do I have to trust you? Or Maleficent for that matter?"

My question – well, questions – seemed to have Kishi stumped for a moment as he stood silent, his eyes casting down to the floor. When I thought I would never get an answer, he spoke up. _Though there is no firm reason for trusting me, I assure you that I am worthy of your trust._

". . . And Maleficent?"

_. . . I do not fully trust her myself. So I cannot say that she is indeed trustworthy._

"Oh . . . Well, thank you."

Kishi bowed his head in recognition as I felt something near the door. Looking back at Kishi, he stood over near my side as he watched the door with me.

_Maleficent must not know of our conversation. Speak nothing of it to her and do not let her too close to you._

I nodded my head, a little scared at Kishi's urgent tone of voice as the door opened. The person on the other side looked just like her name made her out to be: Maleficent. Her black cloak made it look like she was made of nothing but pure evil and darkness as her scepter glowed with a malicious green light. Even her crow did nothing to soften her image as it stared at me with an identical sinister look in its eyes.

"My dear, did you have a nice nap?"

Nodding my head, I remembered what Kishi said and pretended to be confused all over again. "Where am I?"

"You are in my castle. You must have had some sort of encounter with the darkness to find your way here. What exactly do you remember, child?"

"I . . . don't really remember how I got here. I just remember waking up here."

I heeded Kishi's words and kept as much information away from Maleficent without seeming too wary of her intentions. But so far, I could tell she didn't want me to know where I was or exactly how I got here. She must be planning something for me already.

"I see. And what is your name?"

"Hotaru. Who are you?"

"My name is Maleficent. And you can think of this castle as your new home."

I suddenly felt uncomfortable looking at her I tried to look elsewhere. Her whole being was just tainted with evil and it made me shiver to the bone as I shifted on the bed. Kishi must've noticed my discomfort as he snuck a few glances at me. Hopefully Maleficent didn't notice as she stepped aside from the doorway. Was someone else there with her?

"You may come in now."

Looking back at the door, I saw Riku appear from around the corner with relief in his eyes as he saw me. I forgot all about Maleficent's sinister vibes as I jumped off the bed and ran towards him into a hug.

"Riku! You're okay!"

"Yeah."

Stepping back a little, I felt so many different levels of emotions hitting me at once as didn't bother hiding my relief.

"Well, I'm glad. Now all we have to do is find Sora and Kairi and we can go back home."

This time he didn't reply as his aqua eyes peered down at the floor. My eyes narrowed in suspicion as I waited for a response. "Riku?"

"I'll let you two chat for a moment. Bring her to me when you're done, Riku." Maleficent cast a last look over at Kishi before leaving but I was too preoccupied with Riku's lack of response to think about it.

"Do you . . . want to go back?"

"I've already made my decision. It's too late to go back now."

"What are you talking about? The island . . ." Just as quickly as I said it, the realization came back to me just as fast. What did happen to our island?

"Riku. What happened to Destiny Islands? Surely Maleficent must have told you."

He didn't look up at me as he turned to the side, making sure not to make eye contact with me as he spoke, "It was swallowed up by the darkness. The Heartless got to the islands."

Glancing back at Kishi, he stared right back at me as I felt even more confused than ever. Looking back at Riku, I wondered what else Maleficent had told him. "What are Heartless?"

"They're beings of darkness with no hearts. They go after people with hearts – especially strong hearts – and use them to get stronger. Just like that Heartless over there."

Gesturing towards Kishi, I didn't bother looking as I tried to get Riku to look at me.

"So how did you end up here?"

"I embraced the darkness and Maleficent found me. Now I'm working with her to find Kairi and Sora. But in exchange, I have to help her."

"Help her with what?"

". . ." Riku made no gesture of continuing as he finally looked over at me and pulled me into his arms. I was taken back by the sudden motion as I tried to see his face but he wouldn't let me. "Riku?"

"I don't know how you managed to get here but I'm glad that you're safe."

I didn't – couldn't – say anything to Riku's words as I embraced him back, feeling my anxiety die down a bit as I relished in the moment for a little longer. Unfortunately, Riku was the one to break our sweet embrace as he showed his apology in his eyes before turning back to the door.

"Come on. I have to take you to Maleficent now."

". . . Okay." Glancing back at Kishi, I found him looking at Riku rather than me. It raised a question in my mind but I decided against it since Riku was in the room and I didn't want to expose my connection with Kishi just yet. But Kishi looked back at me and nodded his head before disappearing into some sort of portal. Seeing him disappear gave me chills but I was thankful that they didn't last that long as I followed Riku out, glad he didn't see. Going through the dark and ominous hallways brought back the chills just as quickly as they came as I stayed near Riku's side. Looking up at said boy, he looked like he knew what he was doing but was just as wary as I was about what lurked in the dark corners of the castle.


	4. Reunited with Introductions

Thank you to **Spyro Flavord Skittles**, **Alexandria Volturi**, **SoulSilverShipping**, and **Life is no Fairytale** for reviewing! Every little bit helps with my inspiration :)

I apologize for updating later than I said I was in my profile but things have been hectic with work, my health, and my family. Plus personal matters, but we won't get into that -_-;;

For those who have forgotten, I will try to keep to my standard of updating between two weeks and one month. But just as a precaution since my work and school are becoming more of a factor of my time, I'm extending it to two months max for updating so that it at least you guys know. :)

Enjoy the new chapter! Feel free to review, ask questions, even point out grammatical errors or anything you feel necessary that counts as constructive criticism. But no backlash. That's just mean :(

* * *

"How did you end up here?"

I looked to see Riku now looking at me through the corner of his eye as we continued walking through the halls. I shrugged my shoulders, not really too sure myself on exactly how I got here. "I guess I ended up here after the darkness . . . swallowed the islands."

The word "swallowed" came out with more difficulty than I thought it would. Just imagining that our island – all of Destiny Islands – was gone in one night made me feel like I was in a really bad dream and was hoping to wake up some time soon. How could our home just disappear in only one night?

"Maleficent said that you came from out of the darkness. Is that true?"

Riku stopped walking at this point and faced me with some interest present in his aqua eyes. I couldn't really confirm it for sure since I don't remember but I guess that's how I got here. I certainly don't remember anything else after that last night on the island.

"I guess. I already told you, I don't really remember."

"I know. I just wanted to see what you did remember." He gave a familiar smirk before going onward down a flight of stairs before stopping before two grand doors. Looking over at Riku, I saw him tense before opening the doors, gesturing me to follow behind him as the room inside was filled with three times as much darkness as the castle hallways were and it sent the shivers cascading throughout my body. It was almost like the closer I got to the darkness, the more I felt anxiety creeping through me and I felt near restless. After adjusting to the lack of light, I managed to see dark outlines of six people standing around a glowing green table. I couldn't see too well as I huddled closer to Riku's side, touching his arm for security. He caught my nervousness as he gently grasped my hand behind him as he got Maleficent's attention – along with the other five around her.

"Hotaru's fully awake now." Turning towards me, he put me next to him while whispering, "It'll be okay," as he took a few steps away from me. Watching Maleficent stride towards me, I saw the other five giving me different looks as they stayed a good couple of feet behind her but still remained in the shadows.

"Did Riku help you clear up any questions you had?" The tone of her voice was so sinister it made me want to bolt right out that castle and hide in a dark alleyway. Nodding my head, she seemed pleased as she turned to the mysterious people behind her.

"Now that you seem fully aware of everything, I shall introduce you to our allies," She first gestured to a man with . . . blue flames for hair? "This is Hades: God of the Underworld." Watching his broad frame step out of the shadows, I felt better not knowing what he looked like. He looked like he fully deserved his title as God of the Underworld since he was pretty close to a corpse himself.

"Pretty lil' doll you've caught yourself this time, Maleficent. What is she? A nymph? A demigod?" So he was that ominous voice from before.

Maleficent shushed him at once, "Hush, Hades. Your questions shall come later."

Casting a look at Riku, he looked just as clueless as I was with whatever Hades was talking about. A second person was introduced as a big bag . . . person stepped out and held out his arm. At least, I think it was his arm.

"This is Oogie Boogie – or more commonly known as the Boogie Man."

"That's Mr. Boogie to you! But for your friend here," Looking down at me, I could see something moving behind those dark holes for eyes in his 'body bag.' Creepy. "she can call me Oogie anytime she likes!" I cringed as I looked away. I think he _winked_ at me. Found out who the sassy one was. Seeing as I rejected his "hand," he looked a little peeved as he crossed his arms in front of him while Maleficent introduced the next person.

"This is Ursula: the Sea Witch of Atlantica."

A hefty woman with purple skin _slithered_ toward me with black tentacles swirling around her as she chuckled darkly before looking me over. "How are you, darling?"

"F-Fine." I cursed myself in my head for letting my nerves show through my voice as I looked over her. She looks exactly like how I thought a sea witch would look: dishonest, tricky, and ugly. Maybe it's from being in the water too long? Her coral red lipstick shone through the darkness as her smiled broadened from my previous lack of confidence.

"There's no reason to be afraid, deary. We're all friends here." One of her tentacles slithered around me but I dashed away from her before she could get a full grasp on me. Maleficent gave her a look before introducing a rather refined man with a hook for a hand. Was he a pirate?

"This is Captain Hook: Captain of the Jolly Roger in Neverland."

Bowing in front of me, he took off his hat and put it back on as he swirled his moustache very arrogantly as he bowed in front of me. "A pleasure it is."

He definitely wasn't one of the most threatening of the group – if anything, the least dangerous – so I bowed back in respect. But even if he wasn't the most dangerous, I still felt I needed to keep my eye on him. "Likewise, I suppose."

Gesturing him back to his spot, Maleficent gestured to the last two figures next to her; a hunter with a rifle and a sorcerer with a parrot on his shoulder. "And these two are Clayton: the Gorilla Hunter of Britain; and Jafar: the Royal Vizier of Agrabah."

Clayton didn't seem too interested in me as he looked me over once and gave a sneer at me. I avoided his glare, still not used to the feel of this castle. Watching Clayton walk back in place with his rifle, Jafar stepped forward with his cobra staff and nodded his head in respect towards me. "It is a pleasure to meet you; especially one with such a gift as yours."

"Gift?"

"That's enough, Jafar." Maleficent cut him off before he could say anything else. Still trying to keep me in the dark, I bet.

"Now, my dear, I think it's time for you to head back to your room."

"My room?" Honestly, I was more than happy to go back to the room since it seemed like the calmest place in the castle for me; but at the same time, I felt the urge to venture around the castle so that I could at least get a feel for the place I'd be calling "home" for however long I was staying here. But this sinister castle was nothing close to what my home really was.

"Yes. Riku, escort her back and keep an eye on her."

Without a word, Riku took my arm and guided me out of the room as the double doors closed behind us, letting the malign group get back to their previous activities before my interference. Repeating my steps down the hall, I took in the views of the castle again as I tried to memorize my way for future reference. Might come in later.

"It's a little scary, this feeling,"

Riku stopped a few paces in front of me as I waited for him to continue. I don't know why I felt like I was expecting him to fall away into pieces in front of me, or just fade away entirely. But I just brushed it off as nerves.

"I'm glad that we found each other, really. But why just us? And why does it feel like . . ?"

"Like . . ?"

I tried to see his face as I walked up to his side but he kept it hidden from me as he clenched his fists tightly. "Like I'm just gonna lose you again?"

My body froze in anticipation, though not in surprise. The feeling was more like a foretelling of something – something me or Riku couldn't quite see but we could tell it was bound to come. But I couldn't have Riku like this when we still haven't found out where Sora or Kairi are. Touching his shoulder lightly, I rested my forehead there as a calming notion.

"But I'm here now, right? And that's all that matters right now. Whatever Maleficent and them are planning, we can deal with it later. But right now, we should be more concerned with how to find the rest of our friends. Okay?"

I felt his back relax and heard him give out a few deep breaths before he turned to me. Giving his usual half-smile, he grabbed me around the shoulders and I prepared for a noogie to come my way. But instead I felt his arms come around me, bringing me into his chest as he held me there. Almost as if I were his security blanket; acting as if he held me close enough, everything bad would just go away.

I wasn't used to this side of Riku but didn't dare move as I just took in his warmth. But after a moment or so, I felt his chest reverberate with laughter as his grip on me slackened a bit. Confused, I tried to see past his bangs as to what was so funny but he straightened up, holding me across from him by my shoulders with a grin on his face and tears in his eyes.

"Heh. That's something I'd expect you to say." Wiping the few tears from his face, he started back walking as he seemed somewhat better, "Sorry. I just found it funny for some reason and started laughing. But I guess you're right. We've got to find Sora and Kairi before anything else."

Nodding in agreement, I still couldn't help but feel a little concerned for Riku. He always had that nervous habit of laughing things off whenever he was uncomfortable with something – which didn't happen often. But considering the situation we were in, I couldn't say that it was unexpected. We ended up back at my room where I saw Kishi standing exactly where he was when I left – when did he get back?

Riku pretended not to notice but I saw him cast Kishi a suspicious glance before looking back at me. "I'll guess I'll let you get your rest. It was probably a lot for you to digest all in one day."

"Uh, yeah. I guess I'm pretty tired." I really wasn't but I did need to ask Kishi a few more questions and I don't think he'd feel comfortable talking in front of Riku. Now that I think about it, it'd probably freak Riku out a little bit that I was actually able to converse with a Heartless.

"Alright then. I'll see you later then."

"Wait. Riku?"

He looked at me from over his shoulder before stepping out, interested in what I had to say. "Um . . . Just wondering, how long have you been here exactly? And why aren't you a little more, I don't know, freaked out?"

Looking away at the wall, I couldn't decipher the look on his face as he gave his answer some thought. Was he thinking of an excuse as to why he was so calm or was he counting the days – or weeks – he had been at the castle? I genuinely hoped it was the latter.

Finally seeming satisfied with whatever he was thinking of, he answered, "Honestly, I guess I just don't want Maleficent to think she's gotten to me so I try to keep up a calm face. I'm just as freaked out by all of this stuff, if not more, as you are. But now that you're here, I don't want her trying to get to you either."

". . . Oh." Now I felt guilty for ever suspecting him of anything suspicious. Watching my feet on the ground, I rubbed my arm trying to keep the flush from spreading on my face. "So how long have you been here before me?"

"Only a day. You just showed up today."

"Oh." Eager to just relax and take a rest, I watched Riku walked back towards the hall while giving Kishi one final warning glance. He sent me a small smile before disappearing down the hall. My lips tugged up in a small smile as I felt relieved. Riku was safe so there must be hope the same could be said for Sora and Kairi. I could only hope that they're not around the same kind of company.

Looking back at the spot where Kishi stood, I made my way over to the small bed and sat down on the sheets, waiting for Kishi to say whatever else was left. But after a while of blank staring, I figured there wasn't much more he had to say from earlier and lay on my back across the bed. Closing my eyes, I tried to take in everything in cool, collected manner but I just couldn't shake the uneasiness of it all.

Why were only Riku and I here?

Where were Kairi and Sora?

Did they find each other like Riku and I did?

If so, were they at least safe?

What if the Heartless got to them?

. . . Wait. The Heartless.

Sitting up, I saw Kishi still standing where he was with no intention on leaving me alone. "Kishi, I have a question."

_"I will answer to the best of my ability."_

"You said that I was chosen by 'Kingdom Hearts' - whatever that is. By any chance, would that give me any connection with other Heartless too?"

_". . . We are speaking, are we not?"_

"Oh . . . True." Nice to see he had a sense of humor, even if he was nothing but darkness. Casting that thought aside, I pressed further, "So, is there any way that I might be able to help my friends outside of the castle?"

_". . ."_


	5. Author's Note

Sorry to disappoint you guys with the false hope of a new chapter but I felt you deserved an explanation before you assumed I dropped dead or something…

My work, school, and personal life has been in non-stop conflict since we moved and I'm just making sure I can stay on top of my grades so I might be on hiatus for a while.

Every now and then, I might end up putting up a one-shot or a little drabble series from now until the next school year. But until then, there won't be a lot of updates for TMBEK or MTO for a while.

I will continue to look at or review any other works out there that I read whenever I'm on or on Lunaescence. So if you want me to look at your work or just want some critique, just let me know.

So overall, I'm not quitting but I'm more than likely going on hiatus with my stories for now.

But there is some good news for everyone out there!

With how far I've planned out this series, I've planned as far as BBS and am contemplating on how I'm going go fit KH3D into it (whenever we decide to release it over here)

So yes, best believe that it will not just end at KH!

I do plan on taking this series as far as I can.

Thank you for reading this and I just hope that I don't lose fans over this -_-;;


	6. Insidious Intentions

So I am back! I, all of a sudden, got this immense free time and from now until probably until start of January, I will be updating as much as I can.

I make no promises of the times of which I will be doing the updates since I usually have brain farts with actually getting my ideas down into details and story plots. But I can promise that I will do my best!

And thus I give you a short update but with one shortly following after ~

Thanks again to **Spyro Flavord Skittles**, **Alexandria ****Volturi**, **iSayumix3**, **Life is ****no Fairytale**, **Ta****eniaea**, and **Witch of Tragedies **for reviewing. And also a thanks for everyone who read and/or followed/favored it as well~!

»»»»»»»» ««««««««

"There must be a way we can use her," Jafar drawled on as he stroked his beard, Iago nesting on his shoulder with a matching smugness.

Ursula seemed just as interested in the idea, "She does indeed have a unique power. Is it possible she could be another Princess of Heart?"

Maleficent shook her head, "Only Princesses of Heart can have a pure heart. Though her heart is strong, it is not pure."

"Then what exactly is she," inquired Clayton as he polished his shotgun, "You saw how she arrived here. That's the power of darkness!"

"Even so, her heart has not been tainted by the darkness. Thus gaining us one step further towards our goal," Maleficent stated as she circled around the crystal ball in the center of the room.

"How does that benefit us? How do we know she won't use those powers against us," Captain Hook demanded as he shook his hook in the air.

With a pleased expression, Maleficent gave a small upturn of her scarlet lips, "The child will not defy us if she is to believe that we are her only way of getting back to her friends."

An unnerving tension settled around the room as the rest of the villains caught on, each providing their own intimidating smirk with it. The maliciousness of the room thickened as the cauldron in the center of the room simmered with heated iniquity.

»»»»»»»» ««««««««

". . . Are you sure about this, Kishi?"

"_I am more than absolute with this_," stated Kishi, no hesitation present in his voice. "_The abilities you posses only work with those following conditions – along with the drawbacks that are included._"

"I see . . ." The atmosphere intensified as I looked back out at the dismal area outside of the castle. If I were to use my abilities as I wish, there were serious consequences to follow behind them. But if I didn't take that risk, I would never know what became of Sora and Kairi. I could feel the anxiety crawling up my skin, prying its cold claws into my chest as my heart raced with the raging possibilities that flew through my mind. But one stood out amongst all of them: Maleficent knew what became of my world so she must have known what became of Sora and Kairi. At the least, it was the most likely of my thoughts.

"_Miss Hotaru?_"

"Looks like I have no choice. I'm just gonna have to stay."

"_. . . Are you sure that is most wise?"_

"No, it's not the wisest. But I don't have any idea of where I am. That and I can't just abandon Riku after everything that's happened. It wouldn't be right."

"_I suppose. And for Maleficent?"_

". . . I'll keep my distance. If she's just as untrustworthy as you say she is, then there's no way to prove anything that she tells me is the truth." Glancing at the suited Heartless near the corner of my bed, I felt something else click in my head as well.

"_You still do not trust me."_

Kishi's words startled me; I hadn't expected him to know exactly what it was that I was thinking, "It wouldn't be wrong of me not to. After all, you said so yourself: you side wherever you most benefit. And you certainly benefit more from Maleficent than with me."

"_. . . Although I cannot take back those words, I do not side with her. I merely gain what I need."_

"But that doesn't change the fact that you're on her side."

Kishi paused, not continuing to defend his reasons as before. Maybe I had proved my point.

"Either way, I have to get some sort of information on where Sora and Kairi are – and I know she knows where they are."

"_It would not be surprising. She knows much more than she speaks of."_

"Another reason why I have to be extra careful." Looking back at Kishi, I could see him still standing in his spot as he watched me, observing me. "And hopefully Riku will be, too."


	7. Insidious Intentions PtII

And here is part 2! :D

Not gonna lie, I was planning on getting this out earlier but then I had some issues with my Sims family and spent a good week trying to figure out the problem (still working on it too). It just pisses me off since I just moved them in, and they were gonna get married and they just had a baby boy! *sigh* So imagine my frustration when I have no choice but to delete them ... Yeah.

And then I was sick for the past three days so that didn't help either. Damn it, damn it, damn it!

But nonetheless, I bring you your deserving update and would like to thank again **Spyro Flavord Skittles**, **Alexandria ****Volturi**, **iSayumix3**, **Life is ****no Fairytale**, **Ta****eniaea**, and **Witch of Tragedies **for reviewing! And to those who followed/favored/read as well! Every little bit counts!

And please, if there's anything you'd like to share with me about the story or any questions you have, don't hesitate! I love curious people ~

Enjoy. :)

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". . . Are you sure about this, Kishi?"

"_I am more than absolute with this_," stated Kishi, no hesitation present in his voice. "_The abilities you posses only work with those following conditions – along with the drawbacks that are included._"

"I see . . ." The atmosphere intensified as I looked back out at the dismal area outside of the castle. If I were to use my abilities as I wish, there were serious consequences to follow behind them. But if I didn't take that risk, I would never know what became of Sora and Kairi. I could feel the anxiety crawling up my skin, prying its cold claws into my chest as my heart raced with the raging possibilities that flew through my mind. But one stood out amongst all of them: Maleficent knew what became of my world so she must have known what became of Sora and Kairi. At the least, it was the most likely of my thoughts.

"_Miss Hotaru?_"

"Looks like I have no choice. I'm just gonna have to stay."

"_. . . Are you sure that is most wise?"_

"No, it's not the wisest. But I don't have any idea of where I am. That and I can't just abandon Riku after everything that's happened. It wouldn't be right."

"_I suppose. And for Maleficent?"_

". . . I'll keep my distance. If she's just as untrustworthy as you say she is, then there's no way to prove anything that she tells me is the truth." Glancing at the suited Heartless near the corner of my bed, I felt something else click in my head as well.

"_You still do not trust me."_

Kishi's words startled me; I hadn't expected him to know exactly what it was that I was thinking, "It wouldn't be wrong of me not to. After all, you said so yourself: you side wherever you most benefit. And you certainly benefit more from Maleficent than with me."

"_. . . Although I cannot take back those words, I do not side with her. I merely gain what I need."_

"But that doesn't change the fact that you're on her side."

Kishi paused, not continuing to defend his reasons as before. Maybe I had proved my point.

"Either way, I have to get some sort of information on where Sora and Kairi are – and I know she knows where they are."

"_It would not be surprising. She knows much more than she speaks of."_

"Another reason why I have to be extra careful." Looking back at Kishi, I could see him still standing in his spot as he watched me, observing me. "And hopefully Riku will be, too."

»»»»»»»» ««««««««

After yesterday's conversation with Kishi, I strolled around the castle hoping to familiarize myself with its contents. Walking around the dim lit hallways with gargoyles accessorizing every corner, I could feel my anxiety bubbling underneath my skin. There was definitely something lurking in the shadows of the castle; Heartless or not, I wanted nothing to do with them.

Glancing around the corner, I found myself at the Entrance Hall with the stairways leading down to the lower level. Going around the banister, I had started going down the stairs until I felt a hand on my shoulder. Startled, I turned to throw a punch at whoever it was but it was caught by a pair of familiar turquoise eyes. His smirk was evident of his amusement but I relaxed as he guided my fist down.

"Nice to know your reflexes are still the same."

I didn't turn at his statement but couldn't stop the small smile from making its way on my lips as I descended down the stairs with Riku behind me. "It's only been a day since I've been here."

"Yeah but it's been forever since we've last spared."

"Well if you weren't always trying to compete with Sora, we would have."

"Not my fault he's always trying to win against me, even if it's a failure every time." His cheeky tone didn't fail to reach my ears as I laughed inwardly at the last challenge they went about.

"Oh really? But wasn't it Sora who won your last competition?"

Riku didn't seem amused as we exited out the Castle Gates and I marveled at the intricate design to the castle exterior as I ran over to the balcony to gaze down at a sort of crystallized cavern below the castle grounds. Hm . . . Wait.

"Riku? Is this castle . . . hovering?"

Coming over to my side to see what I was talking about, he took a short while to respond as he tapped his chin in thought. "Hard to say. I don't think so but I don't think it's technically part of the castle."

"It's so pretty to look at. It makes me want to go down for a closer look."

"We can if you want. The transportation system isn't as hard to use as it looks."

My eyebrows rose with anticipation as we walked around to the end of the balcony. At the end we found a sort of giant crystal with a sparkling light inside of it. It seemed to have recognized that Riku and I were near it since the light grew brighter as we drew closer to it.

"Have you used these before?" I asked, tempted to touch the crystal but not really wanting to risk the possible repercussions.

"Just once. It was pretty simple but the only time I've used them was to wander through a few corridors of the castle. I've never used them to travel under the castle before."

Smiling for encouragement, I stepped forward as the crystal finally shone a bright strong light and teleported a crate for us to use to get to the next teleportation point. "Well, it's not too late to start now. I want to know everything I need to know before even trying to call this my temporary home."

Stepping forward on the crate, Riku followed behind me though a bit wearier of the destination than I was. Maybe I should have been but I didn't want to miss this opportunity to explore whatever I could before Maleficent could take it away from me if she got the chance. Watching as the crate cascaded us down into the cavern, I could feel a similar tingling feeling that I got earlier from when I was in the castle. Riku must've noticed as he glanced at me out of concern. I brushed it off, assuring him that it was nothing. And it probably was since nothing was coming out to attack us or anything, so I just assumed it was the slight drop in temperature from the caverns.

Finally reaching our destination, my breath was stolen away at the pure beauty surrounding us from the crystals and how they reflected the light around them. It was like another world hidden underneath that depressing castle. I couldn't contain my astonishment as I gazed at the splendor of the caverns around us.

"Riku! Do you know what this reminds me of?"

"That time we went scuba diving and found those undersea caverns with the sea salt gems?"

"Yes! This is like that but even better! And we're dry!"

Riku just laughed at me but didn't say anything more. I felt myself spinning as I was getting more and more excited to explore this place. Just before I made myself dizzy, I noticed another crystal in front of what looked like a hidden passage that led somewhere. More than likely, it was probably a secret room or something.

"Hotaru?" Riku came up next to me as he followed my eyes, looking at the entryway. "Were you trying to go in there?"

"Might as well, right? Who knows when we'll get another chance to explore these areas?"

My answer didn't seem to help convince Riku that I was making a good choice but he said nothing. I guess he's rather be at my side than have me wandering around by myself.

Getting closer inside, the atmosphere tensed as the air seemed thicker. Made me wonder if the crystals were out there as a distraction or as a deception because it was like stepping into a different place altogether. Following the corridors, we came across a diamond-shaped indention on the wall. Taking a closer look at it, I gave a quick look around and found a couple other ones on some other walls; a few we could reach others that were blocked off.

"I wonder if these trigger each other. Like a puzzle."

Riku stood next to me, giving me a sly smile. Slightly confused, I puffed my cheeks at him and crossed my arms over my chest. "What? Why are you looking at me like that?"

"You always get excited when you see riddles and puzzles. It's kind of cute, now that I think about it."

My eyes bugged out at him and I ended up punching his arm instantly as a reaction. Though with those muscles, it's not likely that I actually hurt him. "Don't just say stuff like that so casually! It's confusing!"

His laughter rang throughout the hall as he bent over his knees, trying to stay upright. "Ha ha ha! It never fails!"

Rolling my eyes, I looked back at the crystal and felt a strategy coming together in my head – provided they worked the way I thought they did.

"Whatever. Now are you gonna laugh yourself to death or are you actually gonna help me with this puzzle?"


	8. Author's Note 2

Just so you guys know, I have indeed changed my name on here. So do not be confused or befuddled if you now see Larissa Gates come up instead of the Kira Carmen.

I just have everything else set up to that name except for my fanfiction account so I just changed it so that it matched my penname everywhere else too.

My works has not been stolen or replicated (least not to my knowledge, it better not be) so please do not unfollow or discontinue reading because of this mix up.

Thanks again and I shall have the next chapter up soon.


	9. Author's Note 3

Hey guys! I apologize for the millionth time about the lack of posts and dedication I said I would give this story but I do have news as to the reasons why!

**1**: I'm engaged! This is just the biggest news I have to share since I'm just way happier with my current boyfriend (now fiancé) and I don't see us having any kind of issues that I had with my ex and he's definitely worth everything! But yeah, there's no date or anything since it's long term and we don't actually plan on setting one until we both graduate. The more I think about it, we should set one once we actually manage to get a house… Just a thought lol.

**2**: I'm moving in with said fiancé in about a week. So it's been crazy budgeting, packing, schedule planning with both work and school but so far, we're actually ahead of schedule lol. So as long as everything stays on the up and up with that, it should turn out fine.

**3**: I _HATE_ my job. Not the coworkers though I could have a better relationship with one of my managers… It's the retail job itself that I hate. I know I'm gonna have to deal with it since I'm going to school for being a Veterinary Technician but I can't stay in retail much longer otherwise I'm gonna end up getting myself fired! The customers, the customer service, the having to deal with the lack of common sense that comes with the job from said customers, plus my social anxiety that just seems to skyrocket every time I'm at work during the holidays… Yeah

**4**: And last but not least … video games and manga. I will not lie, once I play Sims 3, it's hard for me to even remember to eat let alone finish a chapter of a long forgotten story. But yeah, it's not an excuse but it is a fact so if there's a long pause of chapter updates in the future (which there will be), it's because of one or more of these reasons that I just gave you guys.

Again, sorry about the long pause in updating (over a year's worth) but I have not forgotten about you guys or this story! Life just keeps dragging me away from it, that's all…


	10. Starting Ahead

I know this is a really short chapter in comparison to the ones I've done before but since our move in date got pushed back and we're moving now at the end of the week, I've been spending my days with finding a different job along with packing the rest of my stuff.

Just wanted to show you guys that I'm trying to make good on my promise :)

* * *

»»»»»»»» ««««««««

Kishi stood in the shadows, staying ever aware of the two children, watching her and the pale-haired boy make their way further into the dungeon. It was a mystery as to how she had yet to sense Kishi with her strange affinity to the darkness but thought nothing more of it, staying close behind them but not too close as he surveyed their progress as they reached further along the corridors.

It was an oddly nostalgic feeling for the Heartless: watching over Miss Hotaru as she went about her ways through the castle walls. Though oddly enough, Kishi didn't find the thought or the feeling questioning at all. Even though Kishi knew for a fact that Heartless do not retain anything from their former human hearts – feelings were a part of that.

'_Perhaps it is another part of her mysterious power that she has yet to discover,'_ Kishi thought, though not out loud, sticking right behind the duo as they came across the dungeon itself, though it was currently blockaded by debris and parts of a nearby collapsed wall. Kishi did not know why, yet again, but the sense of relief familiarized itself as Kishi simply watched Hotaru pout at the lack of any means to their little adventure as the boy made a small remark while ushering her back towards the way they came.

Indeed, Kishi would have to keep a close eye on her for the time she stayed in the castle. Especially with that witch Maleficent keeping her within reach. Deciding it for the best, indeed, Kishi withdrew back into the shadows, following Hotaru and Riku back into the castle.

»»»»»»»» ««««««««

In another world at another time, Sora sits in a room while soaking in the new information just given to him.

"So those things – Heartless – have been swallowing up worlds? Mine included?"

It made sense as he said it out loud talking to Yuffie and Leon in the hotel room.

Leon nodded his head as he spoke, "They go after those with strong hearts. It's what attracts them. You saw how eager they were out there."

"Ugh! But I didn't ask for all of this! I just want my friends back," Sora whined as he fell back against the bed, rubbing his forehead with the headache that was sure to come with this news.

"Too bad kid. The keyblade chooses its wielder and it chose you," Leon stated from his position over by the wall, still not too impressed with Sora.

"Well, not to worry. You just need to find all the keyholes and put everything right again," Yuffie joked as she patted Sora on the shoulder playfully. But Sora could tell even underneath her guise of trying to joke around, she was being rather serious.

"Where do I even find these keyholes, and just how many are there?"

"Don't worry about it. Just rely on the keyblade and it'll direct you on where to go," Leon stated, trying to somewhat ease the boy's anxiety.

"Plus, I'm sure wherever you find a lot of Heartless means that's where you're supposed to be," Yuffie said as she bounced off the bed and crossed her arms.

"Great," Sora droned as he stayed on the bed, letting the Keyblade fade from his hand as he then ran his now free hands through his hair in frustration.

All he wanted to go and explore new worlds with his friends but he never expected to come face to face with any kind of danger like this! And to make matters worse, it sounded like everyone was on a different world than the one he's one due to the weird storm that giant Heartless he fought conjured up on what was left of the island.

'Riku… Hotaru… Kairi… Please be safe… Wait for me. I'll be there soon,' Sora thought as he stared up at the ceiling, letting his thoughts drift elsewhere.


End file.
